Shadow's Dream

by Jami Gray

  Tala stood next to a girl about ten, her hand on the girl’s shoulder, a fishing pole in the other. Standing next to each other there was no denying the family connection. Where Tala’s hair was a lighter mix of browns and blondes with a few inky strands, the girl’s hair was the opposite—midnight strands interwoven with gold and sables. The sight of them slammed into his heart, boring a deep, unfathomable hole in its wake.

  “Aponi.” Her name came out on a choked whisper before he could call it back.

  Tala’s smile dimmed, replaced by puzzled concern. “Cheveyo?” She stepped away from their daughter, breaking his frozen state.

  He reached out for the lone pole by the tree, grateful his hand didn’t tremble, and forced an answering smile. “I’m coming, awéé.” Despite his shaky legs, he managed to walk over and join them. He turned to the little girl watching him. “So, baide, what are we planning on catching today?”

  She giggled and grabbed his hand, the simple touch sending painful fissures through his heart, even as her joy cauterized the wounds. “Rainbows.”

  “Rainbows?” He fell into step as she tugged him toward the water.

  Over her head, he caught Tala’s soft smile as she looked on. The peace and joy in that single look seared right through him, leaving behind icy tendrils of dread. The spell had done its work well, maybe too well.

  Aponi continued her chatter about the rainbow-hued trout and her certainty at catching one. He joined in Tala’s teasing as he helped Aponi bait her hook and showed her the best way to cast a line, his mind churning over escape plans even as he relished this moment out of time. Hard as it was, he reminded himself that this wasn’t real, that the bright, enthusiastic child at his side wasn’t real. His soul clenched in denial, but no matter how tempting this was, he couldn’t afford to forget that. Otherwise, he was signing his and Tala’s death warrants.

  Whoever cast the mirror spell knew enough about Tala to anchor the magic at a deeply personal level. It spoke not only to a devious mind, but one bent on causing as much hurt as possible. The one behind this was banking on trapping her spirit here with the false promises of what could’ve have been. On one hand, it confirmed who composed their suspect pool—Teagan, Hadley, or Danny—and he knew who was his top choice. On the other, the betrayal by any of those three would scar Tala.

  To break through the spell’s hold, he needed to get Tala to see beyond her guilt and the illusion’s deceitful promise for what it was, a lost dream. Just blurting out the truth wouldn’t work. In fact, it was more likely to trigger secondary spells, ones designed to ensure no one left this realm and returned to the waking world.

  This reality was built around Tala’s hidden desires, which meant, to be able to change things here, he needed to merge her dream world with his and make it a shared one. For that to happen, he would be forced to reveal dreams he kept buried. Fragile, half-composed desires for a family he could call his own, a life free from politics, intrigue, and lethal power games. Standing here surrounded by proof that Tala shared those same hopes and dreams, he prayed for strength. Strength to see the carefully constructed lies for the lethal lure it was, strength to find an escape before they were both lost in their shared dream.

  Sitting on a riverbank with the warmth of his child sitting in front of him and the woman who held his heart laughing at his side, it was difficult to ignore the temptation to stay right here. He didn’t want to lose this.

  Aponi bounced in front of him, her pole dancing in the water. He reached around her to help her steady it and couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to the back of her head, inhaling sunlight and joy, as he fought back his rising tide of anger and grief.

  He captured the moment with crystalline clarity and tucked it away for later, knowing he would need its comfort, then resolutely turned his attention to the magic woven around them.

  Being careful not to trip any traps, he began slipping pieces of his dreams into Tala’s. It was slow, exacting work, but necessary to avoid detection. Weaving in his desires gave him a chance at controlling some aspects of the world around them. It might be a thin thread to anchor their escape on, but he’d take it.

  He unlocked the newly imagined moments he could’ve shared with his daughter, layering more and more details, adding another dimension to the world Tala created. In the meantime, Aponi had caught two small trout to Tala’s one and declared herself Queen of the Fish as she did a little dance along the riverbank.

  “I concede victory, my queen.” Tala solemnly took Aponi’s pole and sketched a bow, complete with hand flourishes.

  “It’s okay, Amá, you can have some of my fish.” Aponi’s dark eyes danced, and, despite her attempt at a queenly air, her lips twitched. “They said it was okay.”

  Getting to his feet, Cheveyo brushed off his jeans. “Well, oh Queen of the Fish,” he teased. “You can’t leave your subjects without saying good-bye.” With that, he swept the little girl up in his arms and strode to the river.

  She squealed with laughter and threw her arms around his neck. “No, ape’! I don’t want to go for a swim!”

  He waded into the cold water, letting it lap around his ankles and soaking the cuffs of his jeans, pretending to let her go. The magic hidden within the quiet waters rippled around them, but sensing no true threat, simply kept a wary eye on them. It was enough to confirm where the secondary spells were anchored—in the surrounding elements.

  “All right you two, enough,” Tala called from behind them. “Let’s go make some dinner before it gets dark.”

  Staying in the water, he turned, holding Aponi easily against his chest and noted the gathering clouds on the horizon. As the last of his magic slipped into place, the clouds darkened and a rumble of distant thunder crept forward, recognizing a change, but uncertain of what. He caught Tala’s gaze and held it, his voice softening, “Bił hinishnáanii, I think it may be time to leave.”

  A flicker of unease crawled through her eyes. “Not yet, Cheveyo.” It came out as a plea.

  Reacting to her emotional upset, the water at his feet gained strength, the gentle nudges morphing into grasping tugs. He didn’t waste time stepping out onto the bank.

  He closed the distance between them, their daughter watching silently in his arms, her earlier laughter gone as she picked up on the undercurrents. “We’re running out of time, awéé.”

  Tala shook her head, her gaze darting from him to the darkening sky behind them. “No, it’ll pass.” But doubt crept into her voice. Behind her, the sun inched back from the trees, and the shadows lengthened and darkened, reacting to her unconscious rejection.

  He didn’t dare continue arguing with her, instead he bumped her shoulder, indicating she should lead the way back to the camp. Unfortunately, since he could no longer see the campsite, he knew the dream world had shifted, and he wasn’t the one behind the change. He stayed at her side, a silent Aponi held in his arms. The light was slipping away faster than Mother Nature ever intended and a chill rode the air, pebbling his skin and crawling down his spine. The first icy drop of rain struck his arm even as a low, mournful howl chased the rising wind.

  “What’s that?” Fear made Aponi’s voice small.

  Recognizing the song of the hunt, he picked up the pace, forcing Tala to do the same. “Wolves.” A physical manifestation of the tripped secondary spells, designed to keep them here.

  The hair-raising howls and answering yips competed with the approaching storm as they rushed down the path. He almost barreled into Tala when she stopped abruptly, blocking his way. He sidestepped, shifted Aponi in his arms, and regained his balance.

  Next to him, Tala shot out her arm, barring his way with the fishing poles she still held, as she stared forward. “Don’t.” Her warning was a hiss of sound.

  He followed the direction of her attention and found they were in a standoff with four bristling wolves, their heads down, haunches curled for a leap, forepaws dug deep into the dirt, canines glinting from snarling muzzles.

  Y
ep, the dream didn’t want them going anywhere.

  “Dammit.” He quickly set Aponi down, tucking her behind him. Her small hands clutched the back of his shirt as he grabbed the poles from Tala. “Get her out of here, Tala.” She opened her mouth, her intent to argue clear, but he cut her off, “Take Aponi and leave. We aren’t making it back this way.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” she shot back as she began looking around even as she moved closer to him and their daughter. Apprehension warred with confusion. “Where’s Ash?”

  Her out-of-place question threw him and, intent on keeping his attention on the threat in front of them, he snapped, “Standing guard in the bedroom, making sure we get out of here alive.”

  “Bedroom?” Her question was soft, but he still caught it before lightning ripped through the storm-ridden sky, leaving an eye-searing wave of white in its wake. As the light faded, the edges of the forest warped and twisted before recapturing their previous shape.

  He wasn’t the only one who caught the ripple. Tala’s hand clutched his upper arm in a tight vise. Risking a glance down, his heart clenched at the mix of confusion and furious denial staring back as her acceptance of the dream began unraveling.

  He was running out of time to reassure her. “Tala, take Aponi and get out of here. When I tell you, run.”

  Resolution stole over her face, and she nodded. She reached for their daughter, tugging her close as they inched backward, leaving her hand on his back as long as she could.

  When her touch dropped away, Cheveyo shifted his stance, braced his legs and with a flex of magic the fishing poles flowed into a solid wooden staff. “Ready?”

  “Cheveyo.” His name came out choked in an emotional tangle. “Don’t leave us.”

  He clenched his jaw, his hands tightening on the wood. “Don’t worry, awéé, I have no plans to leave here without you. I promise.” He kept his attention on the wolves slowing stalking forward. They might not be real in the true sense of the word, but any damage they inflicted could be, especially if the victim’s belief in the world was strong enough. “Now, go!”

  He didn’t wait but lunged forward, catching the lead wolf in mid-leap, nailing its heavy shoulder with the staff. His hit sent the wolf tumbling off to the side, but the other three didn’t wait around and charged.

  With the ease of skill, he shifted his hold and swept his staff back, jamming the end into the throat of one wolf before quickly reversing and nailing the one coming in from the side. The fourth wolf darted in low and managed to rake his claws against Cheveyo’s exposed calf. Pain burst in a bright bloom and, shifting his weight, Cheveyo half turned and punched down, his fist’s impact with the wolf’s skull reverberating up his arm in a numbing wave.

  There was no way to take all four wolves, not to mention in this particular sphere, he might not be able to, but he needed to give Tala enough time to get Aponi out of reach. He continued his brutal dance with the now-more-cautious wolves. He scored a few more solid hits before knocking one of the wolves out, causing the others to back off for a moment.

  Taking advantage of the unexpected breathing room, he called on his magic and threw up a curtain of flame. Snarling, the wolves retreated, amber eyes filled with lethal intent burning as bright as the flames keeping them from their intended prey.

  Ignoring the complaints of his injured leg, Cheveyo ran back toward the river, praying Tala and Aponi would be there. Behind him, the wolves howled. When answering cries came back from in front of him, Cheveyo gritted his teeth and pushed harder.

  The once relatively clear path was now a maze of ankle twisting stones and holes determined to slow him down. But he wasn’t a stubborn bastard for nothing. He gathered his power and started manipulating the dreamscape, not an easy thing do to begin with, but especially difficult when you were running for your life and panic was a ruthless monkey on your back.

  The howls drew closer, and the trail under his feet disappeared. Dark, ominous skies unleashed a torrential downpour, reducing visibility to inches and the wind scoured his skin. He pictured the river, Tala and Aponi, and forced the dreamscape to shift. Another eye-searing streak of light danced crossed the sky, but this time he caught the outlines of Tala and Aponi just ahead.

  The afterimages played hell with his vision, and he almost missed the deep fissure bisecting his path. Using the staff, he jammed it into the earth and, with a harsh yell, leapt, arching his body.

  He hit the ground hard, and his injured leg buckled, sending him tumbling forward, his shoulder taking most of the impact as he rolled. When he stopped, he was on his back, rain falling into his face, his shoulder and back bruised as he sucked in air.

  Hands wrapped around his wrists and tugged. “Come on, get up!”

  He blinked his eyes open to find Tala, trying to get him to his feet. Together they managed to get him upright, and she kept an arm around his waist as she led them to where Aponi huddled against a large boulder. Behind her, the river’s proportions had exploded.

  No longer dancing over stones, water tore over the riverbed with barely leashed violence, and the once sloping shores were now sharply defined drop offs. When they reached the stone, Aponi latched on to his waist.

  He rubbed a comforting hand along her slender back as shudders wracked her body. Tala came up behind her, keeping the child between the two of them, the move more instinctive than practical since they couldn’t offer much in way of protection from the elements as both adults resembled drowned rats.

  “We can’t get across, and we can’t go back.” She had to shout to be heard over the deafening combination of the rising storm and raging river.

  As another shiver wracked her body, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, keeping Aponi tucked between them. Her hands came between them, her fingers knotting in his shirt as she got as close as possible. Their position meant he didn’t have to shout to be heard. “We can’t stay here either.” Because, despite the growing strength of the storm, he could still make out he wolves’ song, and it was getting closer.

  He twisted to look at the river behind them, and, when his gaze came back to her, she read his intent and shook her head. “Too dangerous.”

  Hardening his heart, he held her gaze. “Not if you help me create a bridge.”

  She pulled back in his hold. “Out of what?”

  “This isn’t real, Tala.” His statement, soft though it was, struck with undeniable force. They were out of options. Before she could recover, he kept pushing. “It’s your dream, so help me create an escape route.”

  She shook her head even as a soft whimper drifted from between them.

  It tore at him not to acknowledge the scared child between them, but he couldn’t afford to back down. Not now. His damaged leg twinged with breath-stealing pain, and he recognized the warning for what it was—Ash, trying to bring them back. “It’s a mirror spell, like what was used on Rory. If we don’t break it soon, we won’t be able too.”

  His certainty clashed with hers, and he saw the rips of doubt deepen. She dropped her anguished gaze to Aponi then let go of him and gathered the little girl close. “We have to protect her.”

  He covered her hands on the slim shoulders of the dream he wished truly breathed. “You did, Tala.”

  Tala stepped back, taking Aponi with her, and shook her head violently. “No, I didn’t, but I can now.” Her gaze shifted then widened. She stumbled back, dragging Aponi along.

  A snarl spun him around as a wolf leapt from the top of the boulder. He barely got his hands up before the wolf’s weight knocked him back and to the ground. Using the momentum of the hit, he ignored the hot, fetid breath and glistening canines and managed to throw the wolf up and off. Twisting, he scrambled to his feet and sent a powerful wave of magic crashing into the wolf. The impact flung the wolf into a nearby tree, and he hit with an audible snap.

  Tala’s short scream spun him around.

  He lunged, hands reaching to stop the inevitable, as she and Aponi slipped over
the side and disappeared.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Water closed over Tala’s head, even as she kept her arms locked around her daughter. Her heart raced, and her legs flailed as she fought the raging waters determined to drag them under. She kicked hard, propelling them upward, never losing her hold on Aponi.

  Her head broke the surface, and she blinked the water from her eyes, searching for something to use as an anchor even as she shifted Aponi up, keeping her head above the tumbling water. She took comfort in the girl’s harsh coughs. It was difficult to fight the drag of the river, but Tala refused to let it have her child.

  Something slammed into her back. Fighting the current, she turned to find a thick log churning along. She looped her free arm over it. Muscles straining, she managed to drag Aponi over. “Grab on, baby.”

  The young girl struggled to follow directions, and it wasn’t until the log jammed against an outcropping of rocks jutting from the rushing water, that she was able to get her upper body on the log and out of the unforgiving grip of the water. She continued to cough, clearing the water from her chest.

  Tala tried to stay between her and the worse of the river’s temper. Her feet scrambled for purchase but the water was too strong, the current too fast, and she didn’t dare let go to test the depth. More debris pummeled her back with bruising force, and she gritted her teeth even as it forced her body against Aponi’s smaller frame. As soon as Tala could breathe without hurting, she shifted carefully to the side so she wasn’t crushing the girl.

  “Amá, I’m scared.” Face bleached white by their near drowning, Aponi gamely held on to the log, even as the river and rain kept up their relentless assault.

  “It’s okay, yázhí.” The fear in her girl’s voice hurt, but it also pissed her the hell off. Her baby shouldn’t know such fear. “Your ape’ is coming. We just have to get to the shore. You think we can do that?”

  Without letting go, Aponi turned and eyed the steep shore just out of reach. “Sure.” Her answer came out shaky.